Quick Hit:

A SpaceX crew returned to Earth following a groundbreaking mission that included the first-ever commercial spacewalk. The crew splashed down in the Gulf of Mexico after five days in space.

Key Details:

• SpaceX's Dragon capsule splashed down near Florida's Dry Tortugas after a five-day mission.
• The crew included billionaire Jared Isaacman, two SpaceX engineers, and a former Air Force pilot.
• The mission featured the first commercial spacewalk, livestreamed by SpaceX.

Diving Deeper: 

SpaceX's Polaris Dawn mission concluded early Sunday when its Dragon capsule splashed down in the Gulf of Mexico near Florida’s Dry Tortugas, marking the end of a historic five-day journey. The mission, led by billionaire Jared Isaacman, accomplished a major milestone by completing the world’s first commercial spacewalk.

The four-person crew included Isaacman, two SpaceX engineers, Sarah Gillis and Anna Menon, and Scott “Kidd” Poteet, a former Air Force Thunderbird pilot. After launching from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center on Tuesday, the spacecraft reached a peak altitude of 875 miles—well above the International Space Station.

On Thursday, Isaacman became the 264th person to perform a spacewalk, followed by Gillis, Menon, and Poteet, making this mission unique as all previous spacewalks were carried out by professional astronauts. The spacewalk, lasting just under two hours, was shorter than typical spacewalks at the International Space Station, largely due to the time required to depressurize and restore the cabin air.

SpaceX livestreamed the event, drawing millions of viewers on X (formerly Twitter), as the Dragon capsule’s hatch was opened in space. Despite the brevity of the spacewalk, the mission serves as a key step in testing extravehicular activity (EVA) suit technology for future long-duration space missions, including potential Mars expeditions.